The following is republished with permission from faithmatters.org.

On Friday, the general presidents of all the women-led organizations in the Church met for a historic Sister-to-Sister event at BYU Women's Conference.

Most of the stepmothers I know didn't grow up thinking, "Hey, someday I'm going to be a stepmom. I can't wait." Nevertheless, I grew up to be the stepmother to three and my sister—brave sister that she is—grew up to marry a man who is the widowered father of six. And the reality is, my sister and I both have friends who grew up to be stepmothers as well. If you are a stepmother or know someone who is, here are a few suggestions for making the most of blended family life.

“My mother passed away in 2006. She was a marvelous woman. I am reminded of Lincoln’s words: ‘All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.’”

Pornography addiction.

Emily Belle Freeman had asked her friend for time to think about how to respond to his text message: “Emily, you can’t be Mormon and gay,” he’d written.

I have spent many years trying to heal my heart due to challenges I faced in my childhood. In my search for answers, I decided to read and study the entire Book of Mormon in one month. During that time, I underlined every scripture that had the word “heart” in it with a red pencil.

I recently received an email from a friend looking for advice. He related how he has been diagnosed with major depression for several decades. Throughout that time, he has gone to counseling, read self-help books, taken antidepressant medication, and done his best to keep his covenants. Still, his feelings of depression never fully resolved and have waxed and waned. Then about five years ago he was diagnosed with a chronic nervous system disease which has increased his suffering and decreased his hope. Although he tries every day to look forward with faith and gratitude, he finds this more and more difficult as his situation deteriorates. I empathized with his situation. Reflecting on his case, I realized he was definitely not alone. I have personally known many individuals who suffer with persistent problems. Despite their best efforts, they are not able to fully overcome their challenges.

The following has been adapted from a talk Aubrey Darger originally delivered at BYU Women’s Conference on May 3, 2019. It is published here with the speaker’s permission, and the thoughts expressed belong solely to the author.

I’ve come to see an interpretation of the Primary song “I’ll Walk with You” that would bless not just the voices in Primary.